Facts about Multiple Sclerosis

Here are some quick facts about Multiple Sclerosis (MS):

The disease was first named Multiple Sclerosis in 1868 by Charcot in France.

Literally, MS means "many scars."

Approximately 2.5 million people worldwide have Multiple Sclerosis. In the United States, around 400,000 people have MS. Every hour, a person in the US is diagnosed with MS. In the UK almost 70,000 people have the disease while in Canada, around 50,000 have MS.

Scotland is the country with the highest incidence of MS per head of population, with over 10,500 people diagnosed with the disease.

MS is more common among Caucasians, especially those of northern European ancestry. The occurrence of MS is also highest in temperate regions.

Even in high-risk areas, some racial groups are rarely stricken by MS. These include the Maori and Polynesians, Native Americans and black South Africans. There is also a lower incidence of MS among people of Asian, African, and Hispanic backgrounds.

Women are affected more frequently than men, constituting three quarters of those with MS. According to studies, genetic factors make some individuals more susceptible than others.

Usually MS strikes people between the ages of 20 and 40.

MS is not contagious and is also not congenital, although there are some hereditary factors involved.

MS is not considered a fatal disease. Most of the time, people affected with the disease still get to live a normal or near normal life span. Nonetheless, severe MS can shorten life.

Symptoms of MS are unpredictable, varying from person to person, appearing and disappearing time and again. Some major symptoms might completely disappear, although severe MS have symptoms on a permanent basis. This is also one of the reasons why MS is difficult to diagnose.

There has yet to be a cure found for MS. Nevertheless, some FDA-approved medications have been found to slow down the inherent trends of the disease. Also, therapeutic and technological advances help in managing the symptoms of MS.